Terminal having illumination and exposure control

• US 9,158,952 B2
• Filed: 10/07/2013
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hand Held Products Incorporated (Honeywell International Inc.)
• Inventors: Chernyakov, Alexey, Van Volkinburg, Daniel, Jovanovski, Brian L
• Primary Examiner(s): STANFORD, CHRISTOPHER J
• Application Number:
  US14/047,896
• Publication Number:
  US 20140175172A1
• Time in Patent Office: 736 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10732 Light sources
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10752 Exposure time control
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10851 Circuits for pulse shaping, amplifying, eliminating noise signals, checking the function of the sensing device basic electronic circuitry H03

Abstract

There is set forth herein an indicia reading terminal having a first illumination and exposure control configuration and a second illumination and exposure control configuration, the first illumination and control configuration having a first associated illumination control and a first associated exposure control, the second illumination and exposure control configuration having a second associated illumination control and a second associated exposure control, wherein with the first illumination control active an average energization level of the illumination subsystem during exposure of one or more frames is higher than with the second illumination control active, and wherein with the first exposure control active an average exposure period of the image sensor array is shorter than with the second exposure control active.

Claims

1. An indicia reading terminal comprising:

an illumination subsystem for projection of an illumination pattern, the illumination subsystem having one or more light source;

an imaging subsystem including an image sensor array and an imaging lens assembly for focusing an image of a target onto the image sensor array;

wherein the indicia reading terminal has a first illumination and exposure control configuration and a second illumination and exposure control configuration, the first illumination and control configuration having a first associated illumination control and a first associated exposure control, the second illumination and exposure control configuration having a second associated illumination control and a second associated exposure control, wherein with the first illumination control active an average energization level of the illumination subsystem during exposure periods of one or more frames is higher than with the second illumination control active, wherein with the first exposure control active an average exposure period of the image sensor array is shorter than with the second exposure control active;

wherein the indicia reading terminal is operative so that responsively to a trigger signal activation the indicia reading terminal activates the first illumination and exposure control configuration for capturing of a first set of frames, the first set of frames comprising one or more successive frames, and activates the second illumination and exposure control configuration for capturing of a second set of frames, the second set of frames comprising one or more successive frames; and

wherein the indicia reading terminal is operative so that responsively to the trigger signal activation the indicia reading terminal attempts to decode decodable indicia utilizing one or more frame of the first set of frames and further attempts to decode a decodable indicia utilizing one or more frame of the second set of frames;

wherein the indicia reading terminal is adapted so that the indicia reading terminal is operative for switching between activation of the first illumination and exposure control configuration and the second illumination and exposure control configuration on a closed loop basis responsive to a sensed condition, wherein the sensed condition is a measurement of motion of the indicia reading terminal.

2. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first associated exposure control of the first illumination and exposure control configuration and the second associated exposure control of the second illumination and exposure control configuration is a control that allows an exposure period of the illumination subsystem to vary between frames exposed during an activation period of the associated illumination and exposure control configuration.

3. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first set of frames and the second set of frames is a single frame.

4. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein one or more of the first set of frames and the second set of frames is a plurality of frames.

5. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein each of the first set of flames and the second set of frames is a plurality of frames.

6. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the indicia reading terminal is operative for activating and deactivating one or more of the first illumination and exposure control configuration and the second illumination and exposure control configuration a plurality of times responsively to the activation of the trigger signal.

7. The indicia reading terminal of claim 1, wherein the indicia reading terminal is operative so that responsively to activation of the trigger signal the indicia reading terminal activates the second illumination and exposure control configuration prior to activating the second illumination and exposure control configuration.